Örkény is a small town in
Pest county,
Hungary, south of
Budapest.
History
The mediaeval village was formed beside the ancient
Pest-Constantinople highway. Today this is one of the most important roads of Hungary (Route 5). Örkény appeared in the royal charters in the 15th century under the name ''Ewrkyn'' or ''Ewrken'' (the origin of the name is uncertain).
The village was destroyed in the early days of the
Ottoman rule, and remained deserted until the 18th century because of the constant wars and looting armies.
In 1784 a new era began with colonising efforts of Prince
Antal Grassalkovich
Anton Graf Grassalkovich ( Ürmény, 6 March 1694 – Gödöllő, 1 December 1771) was an Imperial Real Privy Councilor, President of the Royal Hungarian Court Chamber, Chief Justice of Hungary (1731–1748), and confidant of Empress Maria There ...
who built a small manor house, and distributed parcels and lots to the new inhabitants. In 1848 the St. Leopold Church was built in elegant
Neoclassical style (today it's a national monument). In 1888 the estate was inherited by
István Pálóczi Horváth
István () is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen or Stefan. It may refer to:
People with the given name Nobles, palatines and judges royal
* Stephen I of Hungary (c. 975–1038), last grand prince of the Hungarians and first ...
. The new owner has done a lot for the development of the village: he established the famous School of Agriculture, distributed lots to the landless peasants and planted new orchards and vineyards. The Pálóczi Horváth Mansion was built in 1893 (today it is a cultural and community centre).
In the 20th century Örkény was transformed by the rapid economical development, the mechanisation of the agriculture and the slow urbanization. This was marked in the 1980s by the building of the new primary school and the health care centre. Örkény became a town in 2005.
There is a motor racing circuit near the town, named the EuroRing. It was featured in the
racing simulator
Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire ...
rFactor
''rFactor'' is a computer racing simulator designed with the ability to run any type of four-wheeled vehicle from street cars to open wheel cars of any era. ''rFactor'' aimed to be the most accurate race simulator of its time. Released in Novem ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orkeny
Populated places in Pest County